Moments of silence were held at a Rockets-Nuggets game and at a Biden campaign event to honor NBA legend Kobe Bryant

Rhea Mahbubani

January 26, 2020 9:36 PM

The news of basketball icon Kobe Bryant's death on Sunday sent shockwaves across the country, with reactions pouring in on social media. Although NBA games continued as scheduled, athletes and politicians alike honored Bryant 41, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

Kobe Bryant

The Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets game went on as planned on Sunday afternoon, the Nuggets held a moment of silence for Bryant, who spent 20 years as a Los Angeles Laker. It was followed by Nuggets fans chanting Bryant's name at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

Anthony Leon "P. J." Tucker Jr., who plays for the Rockets, wrote a tribute to Bryant on his shoes, which read, "RIP KB" "Love you KB24."

Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden, who is campaigning in Des Moines ahead of the Iowa caucus, also held a moment of silence for Bryant.

News of Bryant's death prompted audible gasps from rally attendees, according to local reports. Biden said he didn't know Bryant very well, having only met him a few times, but said the news of his untimely death underscored that "you gotta make every day count. Every single solid day, every single day count," videos from the scene show.